Mesoamerica, Mexico, Olmec / c. 900–300 BCE
Head Fragment
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Head Fragment as jade (Mesoamerica, Mexico, Olmec · c. 900–300 BCE).
In ancient Mesoamerica, jade was more valuable than gold.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this jade as jadeite.
The museum's collection notes: This sensual head fragment may come from a seated or standing figure like those shown nearby, though much larger. The carving is exceptionally fine, from the slight under-eye puffiness to the delineation of the fleshy lips and the teeth. The profile face of supernatural being is incised just in front of each ear, perhaps indicating that the subject had special power.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtHead FragmentOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.